Naturalistic Entrepreneurship Masquerades as Catholic Vocation in Post-Conciliar Media
The National Catholic Register portal (July 12, 2026) publishes a commentary by Joseph Mastrangelo, proprietor of “Zelie Beans Coffee,” narrating his trajectory from seminary discernment through the Salesians of Don Bosco to youth ministry and finally to a “Catholic, family-centered business” built on “relationships, quality, and service.” The piece frames specialty coffee roasting as a divine “calling” and a vehicle for “Families Helping Families Through Specialty Coffee,” emphasizing fair-trade wages, direct partnerships with growers, and the removal of material obstacles to salvation. This article exemplifies the thoroughgoing naturalism of the post-conciliar laity, reducing the supernatural mission of the Church to ethical consumerism and humanitarian aid, utterly silent on the Kingship of Christ, the necessity of the Sacraments, and the salvation of souls through the one true Church.